(VOVworld) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and leaders of other ASEAN countries and Japan on Saturday attended a commemorative summit to mark the 40th founding anniversary of ASEAN – Japan dialogue relations.
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| Heads of delegations to the Commemorative Summit to mark 40th founding anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Dialogue ties take a photo shot (Photo: Duc Tam/VNA) |
ASEAN leaders praised Japan’s active cooperation and support to regional links, building an ASEAN Community, narrowing the development gap, and in responding to regional challenges.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said his country’s external policy is based on five principles, which attach great importance to strengthening relations and cooperation with ASEAN in all fields and supporting the organization’s central role in the region’s structure. Abe added that Japan will continue backing ASEAN to successfully build its community, boost links, develop the sub-Mekong region through the Mekong-Japan mechanism, and work closely with the bloc’s members for regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
Abe pledged to offer 20 billion USD in aid for projects to link these countries and narrow the region’s development gap over the next five years. Japan also promised another 100 million USD for the ASEAN-Japan Integration Fund, 3.3 billion USD for ASEAN cooperation programs to improve management capacity and natural disaster preparedness. An Asian center will be established to enhance the exchanges of youths, students, and arts with ASEAN members.
ASEAN and Japanese leaders approved a vision statement on ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation, a plan to implement the statement and ASEAN-Japan joint statement on cooperation to deal with regional and global issues. They also worked out orientations and measures to foster ASEAN-Japan partnership for peace, security, and stability in the region and the world. ASEAN and Japan will further cooperation in the management and control of natural disasters, anti-terrorism and transnational crime, trade and investment. They also aim to quickly complete sign agreements on trade, service and investment toward establishing an ASEAN-Japan Free Trade Area, develop human resource, and promote cultural exchanges, education, tourism and maritime security.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said ASEAN and Japan need to focus resources to implement their commitments, agreements and cooperative programs. Regarding regional issues, the Prime Minister stressed the need of assuring peace, maritime security, resolving conflicts peacefully, complying with international law, and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the sea, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea to soon reach the Code of Conduct in the East Sea, and ensuring aviation freedom and safety based on international law and practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization.